Starter motor problemo!
Turbo Mini Forums

Hi, recently I took the clutch cover off my engine to change the release bearing. The Haynes said to remove the starter motor to do this, I took out the two bolts holding the starter on then realised id be able to take the clutch cover off without taking the starter off so bolted it back on.

Changed the release bearing and set up the clutch again. Now for some reason when i turn the key the starter just clunks and nothing happens.

Ive charged the battery and cleaned all the terminals up witch scotchbrite. I took the starter off to check it over and it spins fine when the key is turned.

Put the starter back in and it still just clunks when the key is turned. I removed the little cap on the end of the solenoid and the metal tab inside moves in when the key is turned and out when its released!

Any ideas what the problem might be? I cant think whats changed to make it not work as it was fine before!!

Rich

Have you forgot to reconnect an earth lead fitted on one of the clutch cover bolts?

Saul Bellow - "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep."
Stephen Hawking - "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."

Yup, earth problem by the sounds of things.

The one that goes from the stabilizer bracket to the clutch/flywheel housing?

Or is there an earth that goes under one of the bolts? I can remember taking one off, does it go directly to the loom?

Thanks for the fast reply,

Rich

It usually fits between the cover bolt and a point on the bodywork.

Saul Bellow - "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep."
Stephen Hawking - "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."

try putting a jump lead from the negative to somewhere on the engine. if it works, its a bad earth.

Is your accelerator cable getting VERY hot? Lol

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1/4mile in 13.2sec @ 111 terminal on 15psi

Yeah it is lol!! What does that mean then?

Edited by richminiturbo. on 2nd Jul, 2007.

bad earth. basically its using that as the earth strap. best get it sorted pronto!

Ahh ok cheers iain! I forgot to say i did paint the clutch cover while it was off, dunno if that would effect the earthing, seeing as i dont have and earth on the clutch cover anyway. Should there definately be one?

Yeah definitely should be one. That could explain you miss fire aswell.

Use a bit of emery/wire wool on the clutch cover to get the paint back to bare metal (this only needs doing at the point where the earth strap is fitted).

Do the same on the body where the strap bolts to aswell. :)

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1/4mile in 13.2sec @ 111 terminal on 15psi

My dad had this happen to him in the 70's. The earth strap broke, causing the current to travel through the throttle cable, an this set fire to the carpet in the footwell!

In the 13's at last!.. Just

Hi,
Did you unbolt the slave cylinder?
Cheers,
Gavin :)

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Yea i did bat! Could i have fubared something there?

Just read the mc'haynes manual and it says it was only on early models where and earth was attatched to the flywheel cover! Would explain me not recalling one taking one off with the cover, and not being able to see a spare earth anywhere near it:s

Hi,
Yes! The starter bolts and the slave bolts are the same thread, but the starter bolts are longer!
If you put the starter bolts in the slave cylinder they lock the flywheel solid!
No points for guessing how I know this :$
Cheers,
Gavin :)

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You bloody legend Gavin lol!!

Tearing me hair out trying to get it to work earlier, ended up gashing my hand on the oil cooler and calling it a day!

Will have a fiddle tommorow. Will post back my progress and let you know if it was that.

Fingers crossed!

Rich

Turns out the bolts where the right ones. So thats not whats causing it!

Connected a jumper lead to the engine and to the body and that didnt help either!!

So i took off the starter motor, put the car in gear "supposedly", put a wheel on and turned it by hand, was looking through the at the flywheel while i was doing this and it wasnt moving, the hub was spinning freely!

No idea what this could be, the clutch hasnt stuck has it? I have no idea!

I connected the starter back up and rested it against the clutch housing (where it would be earthed anyway while bolted on) and it engages freely and the pinon spins fine when the ignition is turned!

So im confident the starter is ok, not 100% sure, just wondering if its something to do with the clutch/flywheel now.

Rich

When you have the jump lead connected does the accelerator cable still get hot?

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1/4mile in 13.2sec @ 111 terminal on 15psi

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

it does sound like you need to check the engine turns over. either bump it forward in gear or turn crank with a screwdriver as said.

i fitted the wrong bolts and took ages to find out!

Thanks for the replies chaps!!

Went oustise and checked to see if the fly would turn with a screwdriver - no luck!!

Would explain how the starter cant spin it! I also tried to see if the throttle cable was getting warm when the engine was earthed with a jump lead, didnt get much of a chance as i started to get rained on and made a bolt for the house again lol! I think it might be getting warm still yes, will confirm when that sodding rain passes!

I had no idea that if the wheels where in the air and engine in gear, that it wouldnt turn the engine over when the hub was spun!! Whys that then?

The original job was taking off the clutch cover as i couldnt get the old clutch arm off so wanted to replace it with another one i had, i swopped the release beings over as my other one looked in better nick. I sprayed the clutch cover and refitted it with the release bearing in the same way as before. Then i just mounted the slave and bled it!

Cant see why the flywheel is locked now, everything was fine until i did that job!!

Rich

Was holding the ignition open to see if the throttle cable was heating up, then the starter started to clicking rapidly then went on to make a slow whurring noise, like it might be turning the fly slowly?!

Now that happens everytime i turn the key now!!

could be the engine mount bolts too long?

someone must be near you to go look for a few beers, its hard to determine without first hand info a lot of the time.

I know this as its what i do for a living, except not on mini engines

(saying that the pays better on site than fixing it from the office )

Just took a quick video:



It does this with or without the jumper lead as an earth.

Iain, what would happen if the engine mount bolts where too long? I put back in the ones that came out :s

Rich